CensusEasy
CITY

Sullivan's Island

South Carolina · 1,961 residents (2025 est.) · 2.50 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Charleston metro area
Compare
The short version

Sullivan's Island is home to 2,087 people in South Carolina. Households here earn about 178% more than in South Carolina as a whole. The median age is 52.5, about 14 years above the US median. This is an unusually credentialed place: 84% of adults have a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $2,000,000+, having roughly tripled since 2000. Households take in $192,813 a year at the median, 134% more than the country as a whole.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 52.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
84% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 84%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
2,087
+9%since 2000
from 1,911 in 2000
1,961 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
835 / sq mi
+6%since 2009
from 787 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
52.5
+28%since 2000
from 40.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
2.50 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2K2K2K2K2K19902000201020202024Sullivan's Island
20242K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 52.3%(48)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.3%(110)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.8%(142)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.4%(154)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 241.2%(25)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 342.2%(45)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.2%(233)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5418.6%(389)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6416.9%(353)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7419.7%(412)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.1%(127)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.3%(49)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$192,813
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $72,955 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$117,718
+138%since 2000
from $49,427 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
79.3%
+11.7 ptssince 2009
from 67.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.8%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 4.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.506
−1%since 2010
from 0.511 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services19%
US avg: 6.7%
Information11.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Public administration11.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Retail trade4.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Transportation & warehousing3%
US avg: 2.2%
Finance & insurance1.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade1.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1.1%
US avg: 0.9%
Professional, scientific, technical0.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$2,000,001
+84%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $597,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,375
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,027 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
85.3%
+12.8 ptssince 2000
from 72.5% in 2000
14.7% rent
Vacancy rate
26.7%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 30.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.62 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
29.7%
−9.7 ptssince 2009
from 39.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.1%
+12.5 ptssince 2009
from 39.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
10.4
−1%since 2009
from 10.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
74
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic97.9%(1,871)
Black0.6%(12)
Hispanic / Latino0.8%(16)
Asian0.2%(3)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic96.5%(2,014)
Black0.4%(8)
Hispanic / Latino2.6%(55)
Asian0%(0)
Other0.5%(10)
Diversity Score
9
+237%since 2009
from 3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2%(41)
Costa Rican0.5%(11)
Ancestry
English28.1%(587)
Irish18.2%(380)
German15.1%(316)
American11.4%(237)
Italian7.1%(148)
Welsh5.3%(110)
Scottish3.3%(69)
Scotch-Irish3.1%(64)
French2.3%(48)
Dutch2%(42)
Russian1.1%(22)
Polish0.9%(18)
+ 16 more ancestry groups with data
Greek0.7%(14)
Hungarian0.6%(12)
Swedish0.4%(9)
British0.3%(6)
Ukrainian0.3%(6)
Lithuanian0.2%(5)
Danish0.2%(4)
Norwegian0.2%(4)
Slovak0.2%(4)
Arab0.1%(3)
Egyptian0.1%(3)
Austrian0.1%(3)
Czech0.1%(3)
Romanian0.1%(3)
Swiss0.1%(3)
Serbian0.1%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
84.3%
+19.6 ptssince 2000
from 64.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
99.8%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 96.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
44.7%
+14.9 ptssince 2000
from 29.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
17.6 min
+49%since 2000
from 11.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
80.9%
−5.0 ptssince 2009
from 85.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
0.0%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.2%
+9.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.8%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
0.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
1.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2011
from 2.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
58.1%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 61.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
51.4%
−4.3 ptssince 2020
from 55.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.1%
−7.6 ptssince 2009
from 19.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
67.8%
+11.7 ptssince 2009
from 56.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.2%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
49.8%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
1.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
7.4%
−3.0 ptssince 2012
from 10.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 2.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.2%
+2.5 ptssince 2017
from 91.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
99.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 99.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.3%
+12.6 ptssince 2020
from 76.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2016
from 97.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 1.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married29.6%(260)
Married65.6%(575)
Widowed0%(0)
Divorced4.8%(42)
Women 15+
Never married12%(109)
Married60.4%(550)
Widowed11.9%(108)
Divorced15.7%(143)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
1.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 2.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
69.8%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 66.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
25.3%
−3.0 ptssince 2020
from 28.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
26.3%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 23.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
0.4%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 3.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.3%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
90.5%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 91.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
27.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 26.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)9.5%(13)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24.8%(34)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.8%(49)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0%(0)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 137 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Sullivan's Island

Belleair Beach
Pop 1,581
North Key Largo
Pop 1,808
Lake Mary Jane
Pop 1,792
Pine Ridge CDP (Collier County)
Pop 1,910
Places similar to Sullivan's Island
Head to head

Compare Sullivan's Island to nearby cities

SULLIVAN'S ISLAND VS
Mount Pleasant
Income$124,755−35%
Home value$748,500−63%
Population95,469+4768%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND VS
James Island
Income$104,217−46%
Home value$508,600−75%
Population12,660+546%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND VS
Charleston
Income$92,414−52%
Home value$509,700−75%
Population159,423+8030%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND VS
Hanahan
Income$87,984−54%
Home value$374,800−81%
Population22,415+1043%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina?

Sullivan's Island, South Carolina has about 2,087 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina?

The typical household in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina earns about $192,813 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Sullivan's Island, South Carolina expensive?

In Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $2,000,001, and the typical rent is about $2,375 a month.

How educated are people in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina?

About 84.3% of adults age 25 and over in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina?

About 8.8% of people in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Sullivan's Island, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 466 residents, a change of about 29 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Up the hierarchy
South Carolina

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Sullivan's Island, South Carolina: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy